Baylor Featured In The Princeton Review's "The Best 361 Colleges" Guide

Baylor University offers students an outstanding undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review, the New York-based education services company that publishes the annual college guide, "The Best 361 Colleges."

Only about 15 percent of the four-year colleges in America and two Canadian colleges are in the book, which features two-page profiles of the schools and student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in more than 60 categories. The Princeton Review posts the book's annual ranking lists on its website at www.PrincetonReview.com. The college guide goes on sale on Aug. 22.

"We chose schools for this book primarily for their outstanding academics," said Robert Franek, Princeton Review's vice president for publishing. "We evaluated them based on institutional data we collect about the schools, feedback from students attending them, and our visits to schools over the years. We also consider the opinions of independent college counselors, students and parents we hear from and survey year-long. Finally, we work to have a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character."

In its profile on Baylor, The Princeton Review commended the university for its "surprise perk" of "personal attention" for students, despite a population of about 14,000, and for "Baylor's emphasis on Christian values." Undergraduates praised Baylor's "amazing facilities in the classrooms and lab," including "top-of-the-line technology and wireless connections." Students also said "friendliness" was "one of Baylor's biggest strengths." The Princeton Review noted Baylor for its outstanding pre-medical and pre-dental offerings, nursing, engineering, business, pre-law and the seminary.

The Princeton Review also included Baylor in its list of 123 Best Western Colleges.

The ranking lists in the 2007 edition of "The Best 361 Colleges" are based on The Princeton Review's survey of 115,000 students (about 300 per campus on average) attending the 361 colleges in the book. A college's appearance on these lists is attributable to a high consensus among its surveyed students about the subject. The 80-question survey asked students to rate their schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them. Ranking lists report the top 20 schools in categories that range from best professors, administration and campus food to lists based on student body political leanings, interest in sports and other aspects of campus life. The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges in the book 1 to 361 in any single category.

"The Best 361 Colleges" is one of more than 200 Princeton Review books published by Random House. The line also includes "The Best Northeastern Colleges: 222 Select Schools to Consider" and "The Complete Book of Colleges," both of which are also now out in 2007 editions. The Princeton Review, known for its education, admission and test-prep services, is not affiliated with Princeton University or ETS.

For more information about Princeton Review Books, contact Jeanne Krier at (212) 539-1350.